1,721,118 research outputs found
F2RPC: Fake to Real Portrait Control from a Virtual Character
No full textThis study explores a new method for generating virtual characters in video for use in virtual and augmented reality services. We propose F2RPC as a unified framework for improving both the appearance and motion of the characters, unlike previous method focusing only on one or the other. Specifically, our F2RPC consists of two modules for image destylization (AdaGPEN) and face reenactment (PCGPEN), respectively. Experimental results show that ours successfully solves the task compared to the combination of state-of-the-art destylization and reenactment method
The characterization of water ice in debris discs: implications for JWST scattered light observations
No full textWater ice plays a crucial role throughout the different stages of planetary evolution and is abundant in the Universe. However, its presence and nature in debris discs of exoplanetary systems are not yet strongly established observationally. In this study, we quantify and discuss the impact of ice parameters such as volume fraction Fice , blow-out grain size, size distribution, and its phase on the observational appearance of debris discs, considering the diverse nature of these systems around stellar spectral types ranging from A to M. Our findings reveal that the prominent ice features at approximately 2.7 and 3.3 μm depend on both the water ice fraction Fice and the scattering angle, with backscattering geometries yielding the most prominent signatures. When the phase function is considered and data are not background limited, strong forward and backward scattering (near edge-on discs) are expected to yield the strongest detections in images/spectra for A or F-type stars, while scattering angle matters less for later type stars. The Fresnel peak at 3.1 μm serves as a viable discriminant for the transitional phase (crystalline/amorphous), while simultaneously constraining the water ice temperature. For JWST imaging, we find that the F356W and F444W filter combination is most effective for constraining the grain size distribution, while the F356W and F277W filter combination provides better constraints on the ice fraction Fice in debris discs. However, degeneracy between the grain size distribution and ice fraction when using photometric flux ratios means that obtaining robust constraints will likely require more than two filters, or spectroscopic data
Strength matters: Tie strength as a causal driver of networks’ information benefits
Full text linkStudies of social networks have often taken the existence of a social tie as a proxy for the transmission of information. However, other studies of social networks in the labor market propose that the likelihood of information transmission might depend on strength of the tie; and that tie strength is a potentially important source of the tie's value. After all, even if job seekers have social ties to those who have valuable job information, the seekers will gain little information benefit when the ties do not actually transmit the information. This paper clarifies the conditions under which social ties might provide information benefits. We use a survey vignette experiment and ask MBA students about their likelihood of relaying job information via strong ties (to friends) or weak ties (to acquaintances), holding constant the structural locations spanned by the tie and job seekers' fit with the job. The results support the claim that strength of tie has a causal effect on the chances of information transmission: potential referrers are more likely to relay job information to their friends than to acquaintances. The larger implication of these findings is that whatever benefits there might be to using weak ties to reach distant non-redundant information during job search, these benefits need to be considered against the likely fact that people connected via weak ties are less likely to actually share information about job opportunities than are people to whom the job seeker is strongly tied
Ultralow-power carbon dioxide sensor for real-time breath monitoring
No full textContinuous non-invasive tracking of physiological CO2 partial pressure (pCO2) is crucial for intraoperative monitoring as well as diagnosis and treatment of respiratory and metabolic diseases. Despite the compact working volume of optochemical sensors, challenges such as dye photobleaching, rigidity, and high power consumption have hindered their applications. In this study, we present a compact and flexible solid-state pCO2 monitoring system based on a fluorescent pH indicator, which features an ultralow operational power consumption of 171 mW and photostability that surpasses previous technologies. In addition, the sensor exhibits a rapid response to CO2 exposure, outperforming a commercial sensor based on non-dispersive infrared absorptiometry, and can resolve inhalation and exhalation. Through real-time breath monitoring tests, we demonstrate its potential as a lightweight and wearable physiological monitoring device.
Miniaturization for wearable EEG systems: recording hardware and data processing
No full textAs more people desire at-home diagnosis and treatment for their health improvement, healthcare devices have become more wearable, comfortable, and easy to use. In that sense, the miniaturization of electroencephalography (EEG) systems is a major challenge for developing daily-life healthcare devices. Recently, because of the intertwined relationship between EEG recording and processing, co-research of EEG recording hardware and data processing has been emphasized for whole-in-one miniaturized EEG systems. This paper introduces miniaturization techniques in analog-front-end hardware and processing algorithms for such EEG systems. To miniaturize EEG recording hardware, various types of compact electrodes and mm-sized integrated circuits (IC) techniques including artifact rejection are studied to record accurate EEG signals in a much smaller manner. Active electrode and in-ear EEG technologies are also researched to make small-form-factor EEG measurement structures. Furthermore, miniaturization techniques for EEG processing are discussed including channel selection techniques that reduce the number of required electrode channel and hardware implementation of processing algorithms that simplify the EEG processing stage
Faking It Is Hard to Do: Entrepreneurial Norm Enforcement and Suspicions of Deviance
Full text linkRecent research suggests that many norms may be upheld by closet deviants who engage in enforcement so as to hide their deviance. But various empirical accounts indicate that audiences are often quite sensitive to this ulterior motive. Our theory and experimental evidence identify when inferences of ulterior motive are drawn and clarify the implications of such inferences. Our main test pivots on two contextual factors: (1) the extent to which individuals might try to strategically feign commitment and (2) the contrast between "mandated" enforcement, where individuals are asked for their opinions of deviance, and "entrepreneurial" enforcement, where enforcement requires initiative to interrupt the flow of social interaction. When the context is one where individuals might have a strategic motive and enforcement requires entrepreneurial initiative, suspicions are aroused because the enforcers could have remained silent and enjoyed plausible deniability that they had witnessed the deviance or recognized its significance. Given that the mandate for enforcement might be rare, a key implication is that norms might frequently be underenforced
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